How to Unblock Your Phone Number

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There was once a time when the phone rang and someone answered it to see who it was. Twenty years ago, this was the norm. Now, however, almost everybody screens their calls to come extent by first checking the caller ID before picking up the phone--whether from a cell phone, business phone or land line. Some people don't accept calls from blocked numbers. If you are calling someone and want them to be able to see who you are, it's possible to unblock your number no matter what your previous preferences were.

Check your cell phone address book or contact list if you are calling from your cell phone. Sometimes people can save individual numbers to where some people can see who is calling and some can't. You want to enable the phone number for the person you are dialing.

Look to see if *67 is placed before a number when dialing. If you are calling a previously saved number--and wanted it to be blocked--you likely saved *67 before the number. Simply click "edit" and remove it from the number. When you dial again, it will show your number as unblocked. This will enable your name to pop up on your friends' cell phones if they have it saved in your contact list.

Call your telephone service provider. Oftentimes, when you sign up for phone service, the company asks if you want your phone number to be listed in the phone book. If you opt for it not to be--usually for an additional fee--they will automatically show your phone number as private when it's used. When it's listed publicly, you might get more telemarketing calls, but your number will no longer be blocked.

Check the settings of your cell phone. While this varies both by cell phone and individual service provider, there are usually options under the "Settings" menu. You can choose to block your number entirely or not at all. Under initial set-up, you may have chosen to have your number blocked. If your friends are now complaining that your number is appeared as "Unknown" on the caller ID, explore the "Settings" again.

Enter *82 prior to the phone number you are calling if you only want to unblock your number on a call-by-call basis.

Warning

Don't dial someone and hang up, even if you know they don't have caller ID. Besides the fact that it's rude and disrespectful, anybody can easily find that it was you calling by dialing *69 after you hang up on them.

About the Author

Robin Raven was first published in 1998. She has contributed to newspapers, magazines and online publications, including "The Malibu Times," "Act'ionLine" for Friends of Animals, USA Today Travel Tips and the official Melissa Gilbert website. Raven specializes in travel, health, beauty, culture, vegan nutrition, joyful living, arts and entertainment. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing.